Recently, USA Racquetball announced its Male and Female Athletes of the year, which were Jake Bredenbeck and Rhonda Rajsich, respectively. Both are fine players, who had some good results this past season. However, Bredenbeck is a strange choice.
According to the USA Racquetball website, Bredenbeck was selected for his "breakout year competing in national and international championships. He won the 2014 U.S. National Singles Championships and also finished second at the recent Pan American Racquetball Championships held in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, Bredenbeck medaled in both singles and doubles competition at last year’s PASO Pan American Sports Festival in Mexico."
Bredenbeck had some nice results, and as a young player, he's got a bright future in racquetball. He's a solid player.
But he's not a World Champion.
In 2014, International Racquetball Federation (IRF) held the World Championships in Burlington, Ontario, and American Rocky Carson won Men's Singles for the fourth consecutive time. That's the most singles world championships by any man or woman racquetball player.
How does USA Racquetball overlook the four time World Champion as their Male Athlete of the Year?
Moreover, Carson was the #1 player on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) for most of the season, and within one tournament of finishing the season as the #1 player.
How does USA Racquetball overlook the top ranked American on the IRT as their Male Athlete of the Year? Rajsich is the top ranked American on the Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT), and they didn't overlook her.
Understand, Bredenbeck is a good, young player, who may have a world championship in his future. But he's not got one now, and Carson has four.
Thus, the best American male racquetball player over the last year is clear: it's Rocky Carson.
Follow the bouncing ball….
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
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1 comment:
I understand why you consider Rocky the player of thecyear, but your comment that Jake is nit a world champion kind of tells the tale... This is for the USA player of the yesr, not world. In rhonda's case she also played in the US tournies, such as national doubles, which Rocky did not. Athletes of the year aren't always about who is the very best, but also who showed the biggest improvement and other reasons, which Jake clearly has done...
Consider too that Rocky was only number one on the IRT as Kane was out for a while. When Kane played, he won everything, not Rocky.
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